Maybe It's Time To un-UN

Unfortunately, the reality is there does need to be some forum for the world to meet, in effect, as one. That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is for anyone to continue to see the UN as anything more than a meeting place.

Their failures and corruption are legion with nothing to suggest it will be worthwhile as anything but a town meeting for Nations anytime soon. Given that their actions prove so ineffective and often counter-productive to stated goals, we should consider abandoning it as something designed to act in the world in co-ordinated fashion.

Nations can still act in a bi- or multi-lateral way without UN sanction, though it would remain for purposes of debate. We should immediately reduce our funding accordingly.

UNITED NATIONS, June 6 — Secretary General Kofi Annan's deputy assailed the United States on Tuesday for withholding support from the United Nations, encouraging its harshest detractors and undermining an institution that he said Washington needed more than it would admit.

"The prevailing practice of seeking to use the U.N. almost by stealth as a diplomatic tool while failing to stand up for it against its domestic critics is simply not sustainable," said the deputy, Mark Malloch Brown. "You will lose the U.N. one way or another."

The UN as currently comprised isn't anything worth saving beyond a forum for discourse. Bolton has demanded a prompt apology - and that may smooth this over. However, that's really unfortunate. It would be better if we simply faced the truth - the UN is a worthless institution as regards American concerns.

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations' No. 2 official accused the U.S. government of keeping Middle America in the dark about the world body's good works, a rare direct criticism that drew an angry response Wednesday from Ambassador John Bolton.

Bolton called Tuesday's speech by Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown a "very, very grave mistake" that could undermine Secretary-General Kofi Annan's efforts to push through an ambitious agenda at the world body.

"I spoke to the secretary-general this morning, I said 'I've known you since 1989 and I'm telling you this is the worst mistake by a senior U.N. official that I have seen in that entire time,"' Bolton told reporters on Wednesday.

Comments

[tk]

The UN must be moved out of the US. Africa would be a good place. Must of the real work the UN is suppost to do is in helping the third world.

[annie]

UN - Corrupt to the Core!!

How many Swiss Bank accounts have been funded by money that should have gone to the poor and needy?

And you know what,

There is nothing you can do about it!!

[Draegn]

If you want to fix the UN, remove the permanent members and veto powers.